Mystique of the Island
by Iluna Sorgina Talis
Summary: Captain Arthur Kirkland didn't know what he was getting himself into when he accepted the beautiful siren Iluna's plea to help her find her brother. He had agreed only if she would lead him to the Gem of Atlantis, a legendary treasure supposedly in the hands of the Atlantean Twins. But neither of them expected that their deal would force them to acknowledge their secret desires...
1. Siren's Song in Siren's Breath

The seas were always rough around Siren's Breath, especially during the wintertime. Everyone aboard _The Sea Wolf _knew what kind of dangers they would face, and they expected many, but that didn't mean they liked it. But they usually kept their mouths shut about the stupidity of it all for two reasons, the first being that their captain would _make _them like it (meaning he would tie them to the mast during a particularly nasty storm while everyone else went below deck). The second reason also involved the captain—he seemed to live on the power and energy of the tempestuous seas. No matter how many tales he had heard from his fellows about the wild storms and siren songs, he was always eager to pass through the stormy waters, no matter how unattractive the idea was to his crew members.

Captain Arthur Kirkland was a daring, dashing man with a heightened sense of adventure. His emerald green eyes always seemed to be lit with a sort of inner fire that reared up in the heat of battle or in the middle of the treacherous pass. And now that fire was flashing again as he smiled fondly on the misty waters of Siren's Breath. He could almost taste the energy and mystery in the air as a stiff, cold wind raced across the aquamarine sea towards his ship. The wind ruffled his blonde hair and nearly blew his tricorn captain's hat off his head. He grinned in anticipation—he could tell that it was going to be a very rough evening for his ship.

"Are you _sure_ this is a good idea, Captain?" a wary voice from behind him asked. He closed his eyes, annoyed that someone just _had _to come and break into his train of thought. When he reopened them, he turned to face the man standing behind him. Alfred Jones, one of his ship mates, was uncomfortably shifting his weight from foot to foot. His blonde hair was tucked under a red kerchief and his spectacles glinted as he looked up at Arthur. His blue eyes, usually filled with mischief and laughter, were now showing a hint of worry and—could it be?—a hint of fear. "You remember what Gilbert told us the last time we passed each other?" he asked.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "All I can remember him telling me besides his usual 'I'm God's most awesome gift to pirates' rant is a bunch of fairy tales." Alfred laughed at the brief summary of Captain Gilbert's long-winded speech. Arthur turned back to face the sea, his gaze attempting to pierce through the gloomy fog. "I can't remember anything of importance, can you?"

Alfred coughed uncomfortably. "Well…there was that bit about sirens being heard in the water," he said, "and the guy on Gilbert's ship who jumped overboard because he thought he saw a beautiful girl under the water."

"Sirens in Siren's Breath? That's where the name came from you idiot," Arthur snapped, though his thick brows furrowed a little bit. Alfred continued to look worried, much to his captain's annoyance. "Fine," he sighed, "go below and tell the crew to put some wax in their ears or something if they're afraid of some stupid voices." Looking a tiny bit more relieved, Alfred gave him a cocky salute before dashing off, yelling at the top of his lungs that he had a message from the captain. "Git," he muttered under his breath.

A chill went down his spine as soon as Alfred was out of sight—something was wrong. He stood straighter, grasping the handle of his elegant sword. All was still and silent, and the fog he had been watching so fondly was now swirling eerily around him. The only thing he could hear was the creaking of the ship and the slap of water on wood. But there was something else, something that he couldn't hear just yet. He could almost hear whispers and snatches of humming. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up straighter than the mast of his ship. He wasn't imagining those sounds after all—they were all too real.

"Here, Captain," said a soft voice. A moment later, Arthur felt something being plugged into his ears. Whirling, he saw Yao Wang slipping some wax back into his pocket. Yao motioned towards the misty waters, miming that he had given to him to help tune out the voices. Arthur nodded, hoping that his unnerved expression had disappeared off of his face. He turned to look back out at the water, narrowing his eyes as he caught a glimpse of shadowy silhouettes rising from the water. He glanced back at Yao, communicating through a mere look that he needed all hands on deck.

As Yao dashed off to summon the crew, another movement caught Arthur's eye. He slowly turned to face it, realizing in horror that it was one of the dark silhouettes he had seen in the water. Tall and thin, the figure pulled itself over the edge of the ship and landed gracefully on the deck. The figure was still for a moment, as if trying to take in its surroundings. Arthur tentatively removed one of the wax pieces from his ears, just to make sure that as he snuck up on the mysterious invader he made no sound at all. As he did so, he realized that the figure was singing.

_Crystalline voice-lovely and cold.  
Moonlight song-no warmth in her soul.  
Starlit eyes with winter light-  
But the fire rears up and stings like ice._

The musical voice reminded Arthur of the glass wind chimes he had once been fond of as a child. The eerie beauty and crystal clearness of the song seemed to envelop his very being. He shook his head violently—this was a siren, no doubt about that. A small smile graced his lips as he crept forward—the siren didn't know he was coming. The poor creature wouldn't know what hit it.

_Darkness in her hair; no warm touch of velvet  
Could part her midnight veil, but dissipate behind it.  
The Snow Queen's heart is frozen cold.  
The Icy Empress has no soul.  
What ray of sun could pierce the ice  
And warm the starlight in her eyes?  
Turn frozen dark to velvet night,  
And make to dance the cold moonlight?_

Arthur paused. He had just seen more shapes rise up out of the mist. He recognized these forms though—they were his own crew members. He raised a fist, signaling for his men to surround the still-singing creature.

_That crystal heart, cold and unshakable,  
Has scars that show that it's still breakable.  
But stitches sealed beneath the ice  
Should lock away my painful cries.  
Have you guessed? The woman's I-  
The Crystal Queen who doesn't cry._

"Now!" Arthur cried, dropping his fist. His men pounced upon the siren with yells of triumph. The creature went down without a sound, dropping to the deck with a thud.

"We got 'er, Cap!" Alfred's voice rang out. Arthur could almost see him now—the fog was thinning. There was a scuffle and a yelp, followed by another thud. As the air grew clearer and Arthur walked over to his men, he saw that the source was Alfred himself, sucking on his hand. "The little witch bit me!" he said in surprise, glaring over at the huddle of pirates where the siren was being tied up.

"You probably deserved it," Arthur muttered under his breath. Raising his voice he said "Show me our prize, mates." With much grunting and struggling, the pirates flung something at Arthur's feet. The thin form of a girl lay on the ground in front of him, her hands bound behind her back. He was about to kneel down to her level when she sprang to her feet, her eyes blazing with fury. The other men stepped back with a gasp, and Arthur himself barely managed to keep from showing his shock at the elegant woman in front of him.

The siren was beautiful—nothing at all like the horrifying creatures other captains spoke of. Her wet, chocolate brown hair was slowly drying in gentle ringlets down to her waist. Her skin was a strange violet color, though it was slowly fading to that of a rather pale human. She wore a thin, violet gown that flowed around her like the water she had emerged from. But what captured Arthur's attention the most were her eyes. They were like fire-filled amethysts straight from a chest of precious gems. Clear and bright, her gaze seemed to pierce everything it landed on. As she met Arthur's eyes again, he could almost feel her trying to delve into the innermost workings of his mind.

"What's your name, witch?" he asked coldly. He wasn't going to let this strange creature see just how she had affected him, even if the rest of the crew had made it obvious how she had affected them.

She glared at him, and then drew herself upright. He had to hold back a smile—as tall as this willowy creature was, she was still a good two inches shorter than him. "My name is none of your concern," she said in a clear, angry voice that only hinted at the power of her captivating song. "Why should I give my name to a bunch of ragamuffin sea dogs that don't care if I lived or died at their hands?"

_She has spirit,_ Arthur acknowledged. _She's almost as wild as the sea itself. _"Because I'm sure," he said in his most winning, charming voice, "that you would prefer that we 'sea dogs' would call you something other than 'witch.'"

The siren smirked—it was condescending, but attractive at the same time. "Captain, I am a _siren_—no human voice could tempt me into revealing my name." She shrugged, the movement an elegant shoulder roll. "But, I suppose it was worth a try on your part."

"How about this," Alfred snapped, still a bit miffed about being bitten, "if you don't tell us your name, we'll lock you up below deck with no food or water until we feel like giving it to you!" This threat didn't seem to faze the elegant creature. She merely gazed with hooded lids at a point just over his shoulder.

"Alfred, who's the captain of this ship—me or you?" Arthur said warningly. Alfred glowered at him before turning his attention to his boots. He looked back at the rather bored-looking siren. "I just may take him up on his idea," he murmured to her, "if you don't cooperate and tell us your name." He held her gaze fearlessly, but there was something unnerving about those eyes that made every instinct of his tell him to look away.

The woman rolled her eyes to the heavens, as if praying for the patience to deal with the man in front of her. "You do realize that I could just sing you to sleep if you tried to lay a hand on me," she reminded him, a playful smile on her lips. "I could serenade you down to a watery grave before you even had time to blink."

"But, _mademoiselle_," said a smooth voice, "You could have done that as soon as we started attacking you." Everyone turned to look at the blonde Frenchman leaning against the mast in what he thought was a very attractive and alluring stance. "You could have sung us all off into _l'océan d'un bleu profond_, and yet you didn't." He strode forward, stopping mere inches from the siren and smiling at her in a beguiling way. "Why is that?"

She met his blue eyes with a disgusted look. "Well, it most certainly wasn't for your sake," she said flatly. "You can go dive off of the crow's nest for all I care." The other pirates laughed at her very blunt comment—it wasn't often that their fellow shipmate got rejected by a pretty girl.

Francis cocked an eyebrow. "Feisty—_je l'aime_." He bowed elegantly. "My name is Francis Bonnefoy, your humble servant." She only stared at him, "Surely a _belle femme_ like you must have a beautiful name to go by." He wrapped an arm around her waist and gently lifted her chin with a finger. "Won't you please tell me?" he asked seductively. Arthur glared at him—normally Francis' flirtations didn't bother him (at least, he ignored them as best as he could), but he really didn't like the way he was holding her.

She smiled sweetly at the Frenchman. "If I tell you, will you let go of me?" She glanced around at the men surrounding her, looking at Arthur last of all. He felt a tightening in his chest when he saw the panicked look in her eye.

"Yes, he will," he said quickly, the words coming out of his mouth before he could stop them. The others stared at him. "Otherwise," he continued, trying to think of a good punishment, "I'll have you report for kitchen duty _and _a double sentry shift."

"I say you turn around," Francis' unwilling captive suggested, "and chuck him overboard with my sisters back at Siren's Breath instead of giving him extra chores." This got another laugh from the crew, including Arthur who, despite his better judgment, was starting to like this girl's spunk more and more. She squirmed out of France's grip and danced nimbly over to Arthur. She turned and raised her bound hands, raising her eyebrows. "Cut, please?"

Arthur shook his head. "Sorry—can't guarantee that you won't try to strangle me." Wait—why was he apologizing to her?

She sighed. "Well, I guess it can't be helped." She sunk into a low, elegant curtsy. "My name is Iluna—Iluna Sorgina Talis." As she rose again, Arthur thought he saw a hint of sadness in her eyes. It quickly disappeared though as she spoke again. "The reason I haven't tried enchanting you all is because…well…" She bit her lip, obviously not pleased with what she was about to say next. She took a deep breath, releasing it noisily. "Oh, I might as well just get it over with. The reason you're not down there singing with my sisters is I actually need your help."

* * *

**Here is a translation of the French words used (except _mademoiselle_-hopefully you've heard it often enough to get what it means).**

**_l'océan d'un bleu profond_: deep blue ocean**

**_je l'aime_: I like it**

**_belle femme_: beautiful woman  
**

**Note: I do NOT own Hetalia, but I did write the poem used.**


	2. The Sea's Refugee

_You know,_ Iluna thought bitterly as she followed Arthur down below deck, _one would think that it wouldn't be difficult for me to walk on a ship. _However, the exact opposite was proving to be true. She was doing her best to keep her balance but she had realized that the rhythms of the ocean felt different when you were riding on top of it instead of in the middle of it. _But I'd much rather be up here,_ she admitted to herself.

She was being led by the bespectacled blonde she had bitten when he'd tried to cover her mouth. He would occasionally rub the place where her teeth had sunken into his skin, glaring at her over his shoulder. Iluna smirked—the idiot totally deserved it. She glanced up ahead at the captain, eyeing the large feather plume on his hat with distaste. It was kind of a pointless thing to do, watching the feather bounce as he walked, but it kept her focused on something other than the chills going all the way down her spine.

"Would you stop looking at me like that?" she asked, turning on the balls of her bare feet to glare at Francis and bringing her guide to a sudden halt. The blonde man brought his eyes up to her face with a much-to-innocent look on his face. "Keep your eyes on the back of my head if you must," she growled, "but stop looking at me like I'm something to eat!"

Francis smiled beguilingly—she desperately tried to keep from retching in disgust. "_Il est vrais_, you are not something to eat. But," he murmured, stepping forward and lifting her chin with a finger, "I'm sure your lips taste rather lovely all the same."

_Oh for the love of Atlantis, who does this guy think he is? _"I guess you'll never know will you?" she growled, turning around so fast that her long hair whipped the perverted Frenchman in the face. "Sir," she said to her very annoyed companion (if one could call Alfred that), "could we _please _walk behind Mr. Bonnefoy? He's making me _very _uncomfortable…" Her tone was polite and sweet as honey, but dripping with poison.

He shook his head. "Captain's orders," he reminded her. "You might try to drag me away and escape if no one's watching." He pulled Iluna along, trying to catch up with the captain. "Come on—Arthur doesn't like to be kept waiting." The captain's name was Arthur, eh? _I suppose it fits,_ she decided. She kept pace with Alfred until they had caught up with the captain, who had just kept walking.

"Try to keep up," Arthur said over his shoulder to Iluna in a bored voice. "I want to get this over and done with." Their eyes met for a brief moment and a bitter understanding flashed between them—if he was to offer her assistance, she had to pay him back with something worth his time and then he would send her back to the ocean. Iluna glared back at him, and even after he broke the brief connection she still frowned at his profile.

The foursome finally stopped in front of the door to Arthur's study. Arthur opened the door, marching into his domain without a backwards look at his companions. Alfred tried to pull her forward, but she planted herself outside the door, communicating silently that she intended to walk in on her own. She strode forward, her head held high with a slightly haughty air. If she was going to be taken into her enemy's place of refuge, she wanted to walk in of her own accord. As she entered the lantern-lit chamber she looked around her, taking stock of her surroundings.

She was sure that there were finer furnished captain's quarters on other ships, but at the moment she thought it was rather impressive. The walls were covered with maps and charts, some of them pierced through with heavy-looking daggers. She could see faded wanted posters with Arthur's face on them—that is, some of them had his face on them. There were a few that bore absolutely no resemblance to the man in front of her.

There were a few dented swords up on the wall, some more elegantly made than others. She could see similarities in the blades and noted that the wicked-looking sword at Arthur's waist was similarly made. _A favorite blade maker, perhaps?_ she wondered, her eyes drawn to the wall behind the elegantly carved desk. A massive, faded flag was tacked to the wall with rusty nails. She frowned and cocked her head as she observed it. It had a blue background with red and white stripes crossed over the front of it. _What country is that flag from? _she wondered.

Arthur walked behind his desk and flopped into the large chair, kicking his feet up onto the desk and scattering parchment and broken feather pens as he did so. "Now," he said, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head. "explain to me how a bunch of pirates can assist a siren." He had his eyes closed, almost as if he was planning to be lulled to sleep by Iluna's story.

_That could be arranged, _Iluna grumbled to herself. "That's just it," she murmured, "you can't help a siren." Arthur opened one green eye, cocking a thick eyebrow suspiciously. Iluna smiled, but it held no warmth or humor. "But, you _can_ help a former land walker help find her missing brother." 'Land walker' was the term the sirens gave to humans. They called her sea walker because—well, that was about to be explained.

"Former land walker? Hold on!" Alfred yelped the idea that had crossed the minds of Arthur and Francis hitting him with considerable force. "Do you mean that you—you—" The concept seemed too preposterous to voice so he stood gaping at Iluna, his mouth snapping open and closed.

"You're actually a human?" Arthur finished for him, all pretense of boredom completely gone now. He put his feet back on the floor and leaned forward in his chair, both eyes wide and shocked. "Or, you were at one point?" Iluna nodded, completely unashamed—she knew other sirens that would rather have died than admit they were once a human if they were in her position. Arthur pressed his gloved fingers together in a steeple, resting his elbows on top of his desk. "Well that just made this a whole lot more interesting."

"I'm glad to hear that my entertainment value has gone up," Iluna sighed, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I am a human by birth and a siren only because of Heaven's saving grace." _Though I truly wonder if it was meant to be a curse,_ she thought bitterly. She took a deep breath before launching into her story. "I don't remember much about my past life, but I can tell you that I was born on a small island. I had a brother, but while I can see his face as clearly as if he were standing right in front of me, I can't remember his name.

"My father was the leader of our island and its people. My mother stood at his side as his queen and advisor. I remember that they said my brother and I were destined to reign after them with our own spouses, the four of us guiding our island side by side. We were very close, having grown up with only each other to play with until we were old enough to walk amongst our people on our own.

"One stormy night a group of rebels staged a coup on my father and mother—I still don't know why they did it, it's one of many things I don't understand about that fateful evening." Iluna stopped as soon as she heard her voice catch in her throat. The lump that she had so often forced down when thinking about that awful night was threatening to permanently lodge itself in her throat. "It's the only event that I can remember clearly, and yet I can give no explanation for why it happened."

The cabin had gone very quiet. The only sound was the creaking of the ship as it rose and fell on the water and the occasional shouts from the crew up on deck. Footsteps pounded above their head, sounding abnormally loud in the heavy silence. Francis was whispering something to Alfred, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. Alfred nodded as he gaped at Iluna, seeming to only barely hear what was being murmured in his ear.

Arthur frowned. "What are you stopping for?" he asked, the harsh words sounding just a touch gentler than he had probably intended. "Go on—what happened that night?"

Iluna closed her hands into fists, wishing desperately that her hands were unbound so that she could bury them in her flowing skirt. "My parents sent us away—they hurried us down to the closest pier and pushed us off into the stormy waters in a small fishing boat. We had supplies to last us a few weeks, but I know that it crossed my mind and certainly my brother's, even at that young of an age, if it would be enough to help us survive.

"We didn't get far out before the both of us realized that we were in serious danger. The tide had been too low and there were almost no waves to speak of. And then we saw it—the great wave. I believe you would call it a tsunami. And the—and then—" Iluna shuddered, closing her eyes against the violent images that flashed into her head. _The massive wave against a green-black sky…the horror in her heart reflected in her brother's eyes…_

She opened her eyes, shoulders heaving as she spoke again. "The wave dashed our little boat into pieces. I was thrown one way and my brother another." _Her brother screaming her name…a painful smack as her back made contact with the water…_ "I looked all over for him, calling out his name and screaming out for him to answer me. I eventually saw him floating on his back, unconscious. I tried to wake him, but another wave separated us." _Her brother, gone…screaming until her little throat was hoarse…_

"When I looked back the way we came, I felt my heart freeze. The lights of our island—the ones I knew I should have been able to see even from a distance—were gone. I realized that not only was my brother gone, but so was my home." Iluna felt something drop from her eyelashes onto her cheek but she ignored it—for now. "I was tired, so tired, and I was crying hysterically. Soon I began to sink and drift to unconsciousness." She could still see the eerie greenish light that had filtered through the foamy water as it had closed over her.

"When I woke up I was surrounded by the strangest women I'd ever seen. They told me that they were sirens and that they had rescued me from drowning. They explained that they had made me a siren because they thought I was 'cute' and that they didn't want to see a poor little girl lose her life." Her lips curled in an angry sneer. "Though I think I would have been better off dead, but I won't discuss that with you. They raised me in their ways, using their own brand of magic to make me forget my former life, but I can still recall bits and pieces at times."

Francis let out a slow breath. "Oh, _vous pauvre enfant souffre_," he murmured sadly. "What has your life been like?"

Iluna smiled ruefully at him. "It hasn't been all that bad, I suppose—I learned just how powerful my voice was and I learned some beautiful music." She turned her attention back to the captain who was watching her with an odd expression on his face. "But that's not the point. The point is that I've heard rumors floating about—quite literally—that someone matching my brother's description was seen on another ship."

"And you want to stay aboard my ship until you find the boat that has him," Arthur said slowly, obviously not very happy with the plan. Iluna nodded, keeping an eye on his right hand as it drummed impatiently on his desk. She couldn't read the look in his eyes—she did not like that fact.

Alfred stepped forward. "Cap, I think it's actually good idea," he said loudly. "I mean, it's not often we get pretty girls trying to ask for our help, right?" This argument only made Arthur roll his eyes. "We can be heroes!" Alfred crowed, planting his fists on his hips and puffing out his chest in what he probably thought was a heroic pose. Iluna fought back a giggle—he looked so ridiculous!

"Oh, come on, _Capitaine_," Francis pleaded, "let the _femme_ stay. This ship could use a little beauty on board, don't you agree?" He slipped an arm around Iluna's waist as he spoke, his hand straying a little below her hips. "I'm sure the rest of the crew would love some female company," he hinted not so subtly.

Iluna whirled around and kicked him in the shin. "Are you _asking_ for me to help you lose an arm?" she snapped, dancing out of his reach. "Because, if you are, once I get these ropes untied I'll be more than happy to assist you."

"Enough, you two," Arthur sighed, rising to his feet. He had finally reached a decision and the look in his eyes said that he was probably going to regret it. "You can stay aboard," he said, "on the condition that you provide us with some…information." He glanced over his shoulder at a piece of parchment with a sketch on it. Iluna squinted to see what it was but couldn't make it out.

Alfred raised an eyebrow significantly when he saw what his captain was looking at. "So, you're going to make her tell us about it?" Arthur glared at him so viciously Iluna was surprised it didn't send the man scurrying. "What?" Alfred complained. "She'd probably know better than any of us about that kind of thing—I mean, wasn't Atlantis an underwater city?"

"Actually, it wasn't," Iluna blurted out. "It's just a common misconception—it was actually an island." The three men stared at her in shock. She blushed and glanced at her bare feet. "Sorry…but you're right. The sirens know a lot about the lost city." She looked up at the three blondes (_Is there any chance at all that they're related to each other?_ She thought to herself) with a sheepish smile. "What exactly do you need to know?"

Arthur smiled eagerly—her question had pleased him greatly. "What do you and the other sirens know about the legendary treasure of Atlantis? Specifically," he said, pausing dramatically for effect, "the Gem of Atlantis?"

Iluna stared at him for a moment. And then she threw back her head and started laughing. Francis, Alfred, and Arthur eyed each other warily, not knowing what was so amusing. "Captain," Iluna giggled, "if you are truly looking for the lost city's fabled gem, then you're going to need a whole regatta of pirates!" Her chuckles subsided, but the merry twinkle in her eye didn't fade. "The Atlantean Twins won't be too happy to relinquish their treasure."

"I figured," Arthur said quietly. Suddenly, he smiled broadly. "But, what if someone were to convince them to give it up?" He looked meaningfully at Iluna. "Someone with, perhaps, your looks and your music could lure it away from them. Yes," he murmured to himself as he turned away, "yes, that would work rather nicely."

Iluna sighed. "So, you're only helping me if I become your secret weapon?" she asked. Her question was only met with silence—Arthur was still formulating a plan in his head. She closed her eyes as a headache threatened to blossom. _He's going to turn me into his puppet in return for finding my brother—and what makes him think that this is a fair trade?_ Another thought occurred to her—this treasure would be of considerable worth to a pirate like Arthur, and finding her brother was her own personal treasure. _I suppose it's a fair trade—for now._ "I'll do it," she announced boldly, though her pride was screaming for her to refuse.

"You will?" Arthur repeated eagerly, spinning on his heels to face her. Iluna nodded, keeping her face expressionless. She didn't like the excited look in his emerald eyes at all. Arthur strode forward, drawing his curved blade. In one swift movement he had sliced the ropes that had bound her thin wrists, sending the remnants falling to the floor. "Excellent—I'll let you stay on and help locate your brother if you help me and my crew find the gem." He stuck out a hand. "Do we have a deal?"

Iluna, hating herself for doing this, took his hand and shook it, sealing the bargain. "Yes, Captain. We have ourselves a deal."

* * *

**Author's Note: Chapters are going to be a bit spaced out due to homework loads and stuff like that (Gotta love high school, right?).**

**Translations**

_**Il est vrais**_**: That is true**

**_vous pauvre enfant souffre_****: you poor suffering child**

_**Capitaine**_**: Captain (please tell me you figured that out)**

_**femme**_**: girl**


End file.
